Howdy, Omaha – it’s Jeremy.
Generating compelling story ideas is a critical part of any reporter’s job. We know that if we fail to do so, our editors will break out their long lists of torturous assignments and pick for us.
The things we write about come to us in lots of different ways. Sometimes, they’re whispered in our ear by a trusted inside source or buried deep in a public document. Sometimes, you notice a weird road sign or you keep seeing the same dude in the stands at every Huskers athletics event.
Sometimes, stories just fall in your lap.
A few months ago, we got an email from a former employee of the Douglas County Historical Society. She and three of her colleagues had recently quit their jobs in dramatic fashion amid deep frustrations with the nonprofit’s leadership.
She said the board used DCHS as “a social club” and didn’t care about the organization’s mission or historic buildings — allegations the board president would later deny.
It’s not my place to pass judgment on who’s right or wrong, but it became clear through my reporting that the turbulence at DCHS was worth writing about.
You can read my story here (or click the photo above).
— Jeremy Turley, Flatwater Free Press
OMAHOMIES!!! September’s Visual Art community is jam packed with a first-ever statewide conference, the last art fair of the summer, an interactive art club, the reopening of our city’s cornerstone art museum, and a celebration of LatinX culture in our region!
The Nebraska Arts Council Creative District Assembly and Statewide Arts Conference
September starts with a first-of-its-kind biennial conference. Artists and experts from across the state and nation will gather in Beatrice for sessions on public art, art and health care, creative aging through the arts, sustainability and Nebraska’s growing creative districts.Â
– When: Thursday, Sept. 5, 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
– Where: Vintage Venue, 620 Court St., Beatrice, NE
SYSTEMES: A Formalist Installation
Apologies for the shameless self-promotion, but I’m transforming the inside of Star Deli in Benson using more than three hundred “paint & sip” canvases repainted with simple geometric color and pattern. I hope to see you there at Benson First Friday!
– When: Friday, Sept. 6, 6-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight, Sunday closed
– Where: Star Deli, 6114 Military Ave.
53rd Annual Rockbrook Village Art Fair
This weekend come see an Omaha tradition that brings people from across the country each year for live music, family activities and great art. It’s also the last big art fair of the summer, so you won’t want to miss it.
– When: Sept. 7, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 8, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
– Where: Rockbrook Village, 2800 S. 110th Court
The Omaha Drawing Club is a loosely based collective that gathers every other Monday night at the Ashton building. Led by Omaha’s own Mark Sabaliauskas, this group explores collaborative drawing in fresh innovative ways. I’ve participated in a few sessions that inspired me to leave my comfort zone.
– When: Monday, Sept. 9, Monday, Sept. 23, 6-9 p.m.
– Where: Millwork Commons, 1229 Millwork Ave.
The Joslyn reopens after two years with three new exhibitions, and the brand-new Rhonda and Howard Hawks Pavilion. Exhibitions will include Ed Ruscha: Works on Paper; Eva Lewitt: Sculpture and Installation; Clément Cogitore: Les Indes Galantes; as well as new acquisitions from the Phillip G. Schrager Collection.
– When: Opening day: Tuesday Sept. 10 1-8 p.m. Regular hours begin Wednesday Sept. 11: Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
– Where: The Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St.
ArteLatinX 2024: Unidos a través de la Culura/United through Culture.
Finishing up the month, OLLAS (Office of Latino/Latin American Studies at the University of Nebraska) presents their fourth ArteLatinX. This biennial art exhibition brings together Latinx artists based across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, with the goal of celebrating LatinX contributions to the region’s art and culture. But this is more than just an exhibit. ArteLatinX also provides over a month of programming throughout the community including lectures and workshops on photography and dance.
– When: Sept. 20-Oct. 28. Opening reception, Friday, Sept. 20 6-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday 2-6 p.m. Friday-Sunday by appointment.
– Where: Bancroft Street Market, 2702 S. 10th St.
— Bart Vargas is a visual artist, educator and advocate based in Omaha, Nebraska. He publishes a weekly list of local arts, culture and entertainment events on social media, and operates an international studio with his wife Bekah Jerde.
The Omaha Downtown Improvement District (ODID) reported $619,000 in cash reserves during its recent meeting, along with plans for a new public art project funded by $50,000 in grants to install vinyl wraps on utility boxes. The board discussed enhancing bike and scooter safety, as well as a need for more local volunteers and plans to plant seven new trees. Security updates indicated a quiet period over the summer, supported by new bike patrols in the district. Read our full summary for more details on these discussions and decisions. Read the full meeting notes on the Documenters website.
Want to help inform your community and create better journalism while getting paid? Become a Documenter today.
— Leah Wambui Keinama, Nebraska Journalism Trust
Do you hear what I hear? Is it the festive violins and guitars of mariachi music? The oom-pah-pah of a polka band?
If you do, you might be dreaming of Tacoberfest, what’s come to be one of my favorite annual events in Omaha.
Tacoberfest is Friday and Saturday at Scriptown Brewing Company, a celebration that fuses Oktoberfest with Hispanic Heritage Month. From polka to mariachi; beer to margs; pretzels to tacos, cultures merge into a fun hodgepodge that takes over Scriptown’s back patio.
This will be my third Tacoberfest, and it’s turned into an event that marks my time in Omaha. I think about the year I went with Bridget Fogarty, friend and former Reader reporter who’s since moved to Milwaukee; dragging FFP reporters Destiny Herbers and Jeremy Turley to join the year after when they first moved to Omaha (Herbers is thrilled for her second year of polka).
I’ll definitely be there Friday night, listening to my friend Sal Robles sing with Rey Azteca and watching the Tacoberfest regulars dance the night away to polka classics. My money’s on Polka Express playing “She Likes Kielbasa.”
— Natalia Alamdari, Flatwater Free Press
Each year, Omaha Public Library encourages the community to vote for and read one book as a way to promote literacy and inspire discussion. Join OPL in reading the 2024 selection, “The War Begins in Paris” by local author Theodore Wheeler, and engage further by participating in a program and discussing the book with friends, family and neighbors.
https://omahalibrary.org/omaha-reads
A member of Omaha Police’s SWAT team shot and killed an unarmed Black man while serving a no-knock warrant last week. Now, Omaha’s chief of police said he’s “looking into” department policy on searches and the family of the man police killed are calling for the officer to be fired, per KETV.
“Blue dot” yard signs are popping up in Omaha, a nod to the metro’s possibility of sealing a presidential win for Democrats with its lone electoral vote. Republicans, including presidential nominee Donald Trump, have sought to change how Nebraska splits its electors, but for now, both parties are spending big to swing the battleground, CNN’s (and Nebraska native) Jeff Zeleny reports.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Ernie Chambers is running for the Nebraska Legislature. The state’s longest tenured senator is filing as a write-in candidate after dropping out of the race for his old senate seat in July, The World-Herald’s Chris Burbach reports. (You may need a subscription to read this article).
The director of the Omaha Housing Authority said the agency will use heat treatment in apartments to kill bedbugs, The World-Herald reported. The housing agency has been under fire from tenants for months over reported pest and mold issues.
(You may need a subscription to read this article.)
A longtime Elkhorn Public Schools employee was killed while working in a geothermal well near Elkhorn North High’s football field, WOWT reported.
And finally, podcaster Tony Bock caught up with man about town (and newsletter contributor) Xavier Jackson on his OMAPOD. Part two of their conversation just posted today. Listen to part one here.
The Flatwater Free Press is published by the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) public charity